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Sunday, August 26, 2007

Greece: The Land of The Gods

As many people knows the dominant religion in Greece is ruled by the Orthodox Church. However, the revival of the Olympus Gods religion start to appear in the modern greek society over the parlementary elections of 1993 with the political party of Olympismos.
Since then many readings have been published and many religious ceremonies took place all over Greece (see more at YSEE - The Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes) and have been covered by international medias (as NBC).

The recent speech of Προμηθέα-Ολυμπία-Κυρήνη-Πυθία a genious child (see the next related article below) during an important congress of the Hellenic community at Chicago demonstrates the spread abroad of the reconciliation spirit of Greek people with their own religion.

The two most sacred places in Greece according to the great majority of the Greek opinion are Olympia and Parthenon (and not the Oeucoumenical Patriarchat of Constantinople!).
As said the greek general Makrygiannis to his compatriots, the hero of the Greek Revolution for Independance from the Turkish rule at 1821: "We fought for them" meaning the monuments of the Hellenic heritage.

Followers of the Greek/Hellenic (ethnikoi) religion were treated ironically by their compatriots some years ago, but now it seems that Greek society has been accustomed with the idea that an increasing number of the Greek/Hellenic religion followers exist as show the relatively large article and documentary coverage by the most important Greek medias on this topic. Greek ethnikoi have been accused to put so much faith on the past. Why not the Orthodox people as well? On this occasion greeks could say that there are two standards and measures «δύο μέτρα και σταθμά»

Occidental rennaissance has been realized thanks to the study of the ancient greek society. I think that is the fundamental right of every free citizen to follow freely his religious beliefs. As said by Eurypides and Protagoras:

«Άλλοισιν άλλος θεών τε κάνθρώπων μέλει»

«είναι δικαίωμα του καθενός να επιλέγει ποιόν άνθρωπο ή θεό θα τιμά» (Ευριπίδης).

«is the right of everyone to choose which man or god he will honor»

«Περί μεν θεών ούκ έχω ειδέναι, ούθ' ως εισίν ούθ' ως ουκ εισίν ούθ οποίοί τινες ιδέαν πολλά γαρ τα κωλύοντα ειδέναι ή τ' αδηλότης και βραχύς ών ο βίος τού ανθρώπου»

«Για τους θεούς δεν μπορώ να γνωρίζω, ούτε ότι υπάρχουν ούτε ότι δεν υπάρχουν, ούτε να έχω ιδέα ποίοι είναι. Γιατί είναι πολλά αυτά που εμποδίζουν να μάθεις, και ότι το θέμα είναι σκοτεινό και ότι η ζωή του ανθρώπου είναι σύντομη» (Πρωταγόρας)

However, Greeks ethnikoi are not allowed to build their own temples. Why the fundamental right of the religion freedom is not totally accepted by the Greek government?